name: Sockeye Salmon
flavor_db_name_variants: sockeye salmon
source: foodb
status: draft
food_db_id: Sockeye salmon
id: 453
name_scientific: Oncorhynchus nerka
description: Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) ? also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the United States ? is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a Pacific salmon that is primarily red in hue during spawning. They can be up to 84 cm in length and weigh anywhere from 2.3 to 7 kg. A distinguishing feature of the sockeye salmon is the lack of a definite spot on the back and tail. Juveniles remain in freshwater until they are ready to migrate to the ocean, over distances of up to 1,600 km. Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton. Sockeye salmon are semelparous, dying after they spawn. The sockeye salmon is sometimes called red or blueback salmon, due to its hue. Sockeye are blue tinged with silver in color while living in the ocean. When they return to spawning grounds, their bodies become red and their heads turn green. Sockeye can be anywhere from 60 to 84 centimeters in length and weigh from 2.3 to 7 kg. Two distinguishing features are their long, serrated gill rakers that range from 30 to 40 in number, and their lack of a spot on their tail or back.
itis_id: 161979
wikipedia_id: Sockeye_salmon
picture_file_name: 463.jpg
picture_content_type: image/jpeg
picture_file_size: 88237
picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:40:22.000Z
legacy_id: 490
food_group: Aquatic foods
food_subgroup: Fishes
food_type: Type 1
created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:43.000Z
updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:25.000Z
creator_id: null
updater_id: null
export_to_afcdb: false
category: specific
ncbi_taxonomy_id: 8023
export_to_foodb: true
public_id: FOOD00453